Title 33, Title 33: Human Services

§ 4109. Office of Child Support; use of federal parent locator service The Office of Child Support may use the services of the Federal Parent Locator Service. (Added 1993, No. 228 (Adj. Sess.), § 14.)

§ 4110. Employer obligations (a) Where a parent is required by a court or administrative order to provide health coverage for a child, and the parent is eligible for dependent health coverage, which is available through an employer doing business in this State, the employer is re…

§ 4111. Access to financial records of deposit accounts of individuals who owe overdue child support (a) As used in this section: (1) “Depositor” means an owner of an account in a financial institution and includes a “share account holder” of a credit union. (2) “Financial instit…

§ 4301. Definitions As used in this chapter: (1) “Child with a disability” means a child who either is eligible for early essential education or special education under State or federal law, or who is a child or adolescent with a severe emotional disturbance. (2) “Coordinated ser…

§ 4302. State interagency team (a) A State interagency team is created and shall consist of eight members: (1) The Director of the division responsible for special education for the Agency of Education. (2) The Agency of Education’s consultant for children and adolescents with a …

§ 4303. Local interagency teams (a) There shall be at least one local interagency team for each administrative district established by the Department for Children and Families whose permanent membership shall include: (1) The person from the designated community mental health age…

§ 4304a. Advisory Board (a) An advisory board is created to advise the Secretary of Education and the Commissioners of Mental Health and for Children and Families about children and adolescents with a severe emotional disturbance and their families. (b) The Advisory Board shall a…

§ 4305. Coordinated system of care (a)(1) Services provided by or through the Departments of Mental Health and for Children and Families and the Agency of Education to children and adolescents with a severe emotional disturbance shall be pursuant to a coordinated services plan, d…

§ 4601. Definitions As used in this chapter: (1) “Early care, health, and education” means all services provided to families expecting a child and to children up to eight years of age, including child care, family support, early education, mental and physical health services, nut…

§ 4602. Building Bright Futures Council (a) The Building Bright Futures Program shall be governed by a statewide council comprising no more than 23 members. The Building Bright Futures Council’s membership shall be as follows: (1) The Secretary of Human Services or designee. (2) …

§ 4603. Powers and duties The Council established by section 4602 of this title shall have the following powers and duties necessary and appropriate to effectuating the purposes of this chapter: (1) Advise the Administration and General Assembly on: (A) the status and needs of th…

§ 4604. Limitation of scope Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to supersede or usurp the statutory powers or authority of any State agency or department or any school district. (Added 2009, No. 104 (Adj. Sess.), § 2, eff. May 12, 2010.)

§ 4605. Technical assistance; accountability In order to ensure the successful implementation of expanded child care, prekindergarten, and afterschool and summer care, Building Bright Futures shall be responsible for monitoring accountability, supporting stakeholders in collectiv…

§ 4701. Legislative findings and purpose (a) The General Assembly finds that early intervention and family support services offers the chance for children at risk of school failure to enter school better prepared to learn. Children who succeed in school are more likely to fulfill…

§ 4702. System for services to children at risk of school failure (a) As used in this chapter: (1) “At risk” means those children from birth to age 72 months who have a diagnosed physical or mental condition that has a high probability of resulting in a developmental delay, or wh…

§ 4901. Statement of purposes The Department may cooperate with the appropriate federal agency for the purpose of establishing, extending, and strengthening services that supplement or substitute for parental care and supervision, including: (1) preventing, remedying, or assistin…

§ 4902. Definitions As used in this chapter: (1) “Child” means a person under 18 years of age committed by the Family Division of the Superior Court to the Department for Children and Families. (2) “Commissioner” means the Commissioner for Children and Families. (3) “Department” …

§ 4903. Responsibility of Department The Department may expend, within amounts available for the purposes, what is necessary to protect and promote the welfare of children and adults in this State, including the strengthening of their homes whenever possible, by: (1) Investigatin…

§ 4904. Foster care; transitional youth services (a) As used in this section, “youth” means a person between 18 and 22 years of age who either: (1) attained his or her 18th birthday while in the custody of the Commissioner for Children and Families; or (2) while he or she was bet…

§ 4905. Foster care and placement licensing (a) A person other than an employee of a department within the Agency of Human Services shall not place any child in foster care for more than 15 consecutive days unless the person has a license from the Department to do so or is an emp…

§ 4906. Foster care; reasonable and prudent parent standard (a) As used in this section: (1) “Caregiver” means a foster parent, including a kinship foster parent or residential treatment or other program, with whom a child or youth in the custody of the Commissioner for Children …

§ 4911. Purpose The purpose of this subchapter is to: (1) protect children whose health and welfare may be adversely affected through abuse or neglect; (2) strengthen the family and make the home safe for children whenever possible by enhancing the parental capacity for good chil…

§ 4912. Definitions As used in this subchapter: (1) “Abused or neglected child” means a child whose physical health, psychological growth and development, or welfare is harmed or is at substantial risk of harm by the acts or omissions of his or her parent or other person responsi…

§ 4913. Reporting child abuse and neglect; remedial action (a) A mandated reporter is any: (1) health care provider, including any: (A) physician, surgeon, osteopath, chiropractor, or physician assistant licensed, certified, or registered under the provisions of Title 26; (B) res…

§ 4914. Nature and content of report; to whom made A report shall be made orally or in writing to the Commissioner or designee. The Commissioner or designee shall request the reporter to follow the oral report with a written report, unless the reporter is anonymous. Reports shall…

§ 4915. Assessment and investigation (a) Upon receipt of a report of abuse or neglect, the Department shall promptly determine whether it constitutes an allegation of child abuse or neglect as defined in section 4912 of this title. The Department shall respond to reports of alleg…

§ 4915a. Procedures for assessment (a) An assessment, to the extent that is reasonable under the facts and circumstances presented by the particular valid allegation of child abuse or neglect, shall include the following: (1) An interview with the child’s parent, guardian, foster…

§ 4915b. Procedures for investigation (a) An investigation, to the extent that it is reasonable under the facts and circumstances presented by the particular allegation of child abuse, shall include all of the following: (1) A visit to the child’s place of residence or place of c…

§ 4916. Child protection registry (a)(1) The Commissioner shall maintain a Child Protection Registry that shall contain a record of all investigations that have resulted in a substantiated report on or after January 1, 1992. Except as provided in subdivision (2) of this subsectio…

§ 4916a. Challenging substantiation (a) If an investigation conducted in accordance with section 4915b of this title results in a determination that a report of child abuse or neglect should be substantiated, the Department shall notify the person alleged to have abused or neglec…

§ 4916b. Human Services Board hearing (a) Within 30 days after the date on which the administrative reviewer sent notice, the person who is the subject of the substantiation may apply in writing to the Human Services Board for relief. The Board shall hold a fair hearing pursuant …

§ 4916c. Petition for expungement from the Registry (a)(1) Pursuant to rules adopted in accordance with subsection 4916(e) of this title, a person whose name has been placed on the Registry may file a written request with the Commissioner, seeking a review for the purpose of expu…

§ 4916d. Automatic expungement of registry records Registry entries concerning a person whose conduct was substantiated for behavior occurring before the person reached 10 years of age shall be expunged when the person reaches 18 years of age, provided that the person has had no …

§ 4916e. Notice to minors If the person alleged to have abused or neglected a child is a minor, any notice required pursuant to this subchapter shall be sent: (1) to the minor’s parents or guardian; or (2) if the child is in the custody of the Commissioner, to the social worker a…

§ 4917. Multidisciplinary teams; empaneling (a) The Commissioner or his or her designee may impanel a multidisciplinary team or a special investigative multitask force team, or both, wherever in the State there may be a probable case of child abuse or neglect that warrants the co…

§ 4918. Multidisciplinary teams; functions; guidelines (a) Multidisciplinary teams shall assist local district offices of the Department in identifying and treating child abuse or neglect cases. With respect to any case referred to it, the team may assist the district office by p…

§ 4919. Disclosure of Registry records (a) The Commissioner may disclose a Registry record only as follows: (1) To the State’s Attorney or the Attorney General. (2) To the owner or operator of a facility regulated by the Department for the purpose of informing the owner or operat…

§ 4921. Department’s records of abuse and neglect (a) Record maintenance and disclosure generally. The Commissioner shall maintain all records of all investigations, assessments, reviews, and responses initiated under this subchapter. The Department may use and disclose informati…

§ 4922. Rulemaking (a) On or before April 1, 2026, the Commissioner shall file proposed rules pursuant to 3 V.S.A. chapter 25 implementing the provisions of this subchapter to become effective on September 1, 2026. These shall include: (1) rules setting forth criteria for determi…

§ 4923. Reporting The Commissioner shall publish an annual report regarding reports of child abuse and neglect no later than June 30, for the previous year. The report shall include: (1) The number of reports accepted as valid allegations of child abuse or neglect. (2) The number…

§ 5101. Purposes (a) The juvenile judicial proceedings chapters shall be construed in accordance with the following purposes: (1) to provide for the care, protection, education, and healthy mental, physical, and social development of children coming within the provisions of the j…

§ 5101a. Juvenile justice legislative findings (a) The General Assembly finds and declares as public policy that an effective juvenile justice system protects public safety; connects youths and young adults to age-appropriate services that reduce the risk of reoffense; and, when …

§ 5102. Definitions and provisions of general application As used in the juvenile judicial proceedings chapters: (1) “Care provider” means a person other than a parent, guardian, or custodian who is providing the child with routine daily care but to whom custody rights have not b…

§ 5103. Jurisdiction (a) The Family Division of the Superior Court shall have exclusive jurisdiction over all proceedings concerning a child who is or who is alleged to be a delinquent child or a child in need of care or supervision brought under the authority of the juvenile jud…

§ 5105. Venue and change of venue (a) Proceedings under the juvenile judicial proceedings chapters may be commenced in the county where: (1) the child is domiciled; (2) the acts constituting the alleged delinquency occurred; or (3) the child is present when the proceedings commen…

§ 5106. Powers and duties of Commissioner Subject to the limitations of the juvenile judicial proceedings chapters or those imposed by the court, and in addition to any other powers granted to the Commissioner under the laws of this State, the Commissioner has the following autho…